DragonClan Challenges
by Cheetahstar
Summary: A book of challenges for the one and only rawr Clan: DragonClan
1. Superstitions

The fresh breeze that caressed the meadow carried the river scents, the smells soothing the mind. Cats moved across the Camp, some talking, some resting, some playing. Two kits rolled out of the Nursery, both of them trying to pounce on the other one. A patrol entered the Camp, bringing more prey to the already full pile. I smiled at my Clan from the Twisted Root, my mottled gray and tabby tail twitching. MeadowClan was prospering, something we had worked hard on earning. After countless internal battles, I had managed to restore peace in my home. I couldn't be prouder of my Clanmates.

"Brindlestar! Brindlestar!", a high-pitched voice called for me. I diverted my gaze from the Camp and found the curious blue eyes of Lionkit watching me intently. I smiled at the little kit and flicked my tail over his nose, "Yes? What is it, Lionkit?"

"Why is this called Twisted Root?"

"Why? Because this is a root, my dear. Long ago, a tree stood here, it's abundant holes being MeadowClan's first home. But one day, the tree gave in and the Camp was reestablished at what used to be the tree's base. The only remain of the tree is this twisted root, where apprentices used to practice their climbing"

Lionkit's eyes shone, "Wow! So this root-"

"There you are, Lionkit! Stop sneaking out of the Nursery without telling me!", a light brown and gray she-cat said while nearing the Twisted Root. The kit squeaked and hid among my tail fur, his eyes locking with mine for a heartbeat, "Don't let her find me!", he whispered. I purred in amusement and met an equally amused pair of green eyes, "I haven't seen your son, Raggedstreak"

The queen smirked, "Oh really? Where could my kit be? What if he went outside of Camp? What would I do then sister?" After hearing this, Lionkit jumped from his hiding spot and pounced on Raggedstreak, "You didn't find me! You didn't find me!"

Laughing, Raggedstreak conduced her kit back to the Nursery not before saying good bye to me. Raggedstreak and Lionkit, the only ones who I have really opened my heart for in a long time. Ah, Raggedstreak, beloved sister. She was always there to help me, even when what I was doing was wrong.

_"Brindleswipe, you know this is... Come on! You know!"_

_"Please Raggedstreak! I can't tell anyone else!"_

Yes, always there for me.

The two other kits, Ivykit and Rainkit, continued fighting with each other until their older brother Smokecloud came and pushed them inside the Nursery again. Kits, wonderful but annoying bundles of fur. I sometimes wonder what would having kits of my own feel like... But then I just push the thought away. After all, I'm happy as leader.

_"You would be a great leader Brindleswipe, I know it"_

_"Do you really think so?"_

_"Of course"_

_A deep purr, the sensation of his pelt pressed against mine..._

Amberpaw and Thistlepaw, the siblings, sit near the Apprentices' Den, their laughter reaching my ears. As we don't need any more prey and their mentors are out in a patrol, the apprentices can relax for today. Rabbitpaw soon joins them along with Littlepaw, who is avoiding Thistlepaw's gaze. Young apprentices, they sometimes can be as amusing as kits. They would even believe in the same superstitions!

_"Have you heard of the bad spirit that roams this lands?" A sudden question. An strange one._

_"The thing that elders tell to the kits?"_

_An amused grin._

_"It's true! I swear! One of our ancient leaders, Falconstar, was controlled by it. Or at least it was supposed to be like that, he killed all of the kits after all"_

_"You are inventing all of this"_

_"Perhaps". An attempt to be mysterious. We both laugh heartily._

The black pelt of Robinsong soon comes through the entrance, the rest of her patrol trailing behind. Falconeye, Amberpaw's mentor and the deputy, sends me a nod, amber eyes locking on my icy blue ones.

_He licks my ear, warm amber eyes entering my vision._

_"I have missed you, Brindleswipe. Why weren't you here last night?"_

_"Dawnstar almost caught me, I'm sorry"_

_His tail entwining with mine. His characterizing smile displayed on his handsome face._

_"Don't be sorry. I would have waited to see you again forever"_

Suddenly, the birds stop their singing. All of the Clan stop their activities, bodies tense for an unknown danger. The kits run to the Nursery with their mothers, each Queen's fur bristling. A chill goes up my spine, my heart beating faster and my claws unsheathing. I know this feeling, I have experienced it before. It is the calm before the storm.

"GOLDENCLAN, ATTACK!"

Cries erupt from all around me, claws viciously swiping everywhere. The intruders keep appearing, even smaller ones who I assumed were apprentices. StarClan! Did they bring the whole Clan?!

Leaping from the Twisted Root, I land on the back of a pale ginger tom, pinning him to the ground. My claws sink in his flanks and I bite one of his ears, making him screech in pain. No-cat invades MeadowClan's territory! The tom suddenly rolls over and swipes blindly, his unnaturally long claws grazing my chest.

"Steamcloud!", a female voice reaches my ears before something tackles me, sending me rolling several fox-lengths away. The she-cat snarls at me, her icy green eyes contrasting with her jet black pelt. She jumps at me but someone else crashes into her before she lands her hit. Raggedstreak has the she-cat squirming beneath her claws before I know it. I nod at my sister, silently congratulating her. After delivering dome bites and sending the intruder she-cat away did desperation shine across Raggedstreak's eyes, "Have you seen Lionkit? He was about to enter the Nursery when GoldenClan attacked!"

Fear constricts my heart in a heartbeat. Lionkit couldn't be inside the battle, no he couldn't! He was going to get himself killed! I send a powerful swipe to a calico tom that ran my way and searched for my nephew while feeling as if my heart was going to explode. I halt as everyone freezes, enemies suddenly still with their paws about to deliver swipes.

"Kit-killer!"

A heart-wrenching cry is heard across the Camp as Raggedstreak launches herself at a tiny body near the Warrior's Den. The queen starts sobbing, her wails echoing across the meadow. No, Lionkit couldn't be death! He couldn't! I utter a war cry and leap at Lionkit's murder, claws striking merciless at my opponent. The rest of my Clan reassumes their attacks, this time with anger and vengeance impulsing their moved. I wasn't even thinking now, my only mission to watch the cat death by my paws. My opponent makes a sudden move and manages to push me off him.

I use the moment to shake the blood from my eyes, but I regret it even today. Oakstar snarls at me while tensing his muscles. Amber meets blue and I froze in my place, my jaws opened in disbelief.

_"What do you mean with that?"_

_"Brindleswipe, I never loved you. It was all a façade"_

_"How can you even say that Oakwhisper?!"_

_His gaze avoiding mine. Paws shuffle nervously._

_"...Dapplestar made you deputy, didn't she?"_

_A firm nod._

_"I can't have a mate in a different Clan"_

_"And after all this moons with you... You couldn't just ask me to change Clans?! We could have thought of something!"_

_Eyes wide with surprise. Amber searching blue._

_"Y-You would have done that? For me? But I thought you always wanted to be leader!"_

_"I could had given up on my dream just to be with you! I loved you, Oakwhisper! But that doesn't matters anymore, you already told me. It was just a façade"_

_Paw steps rushing from the clearing. Oakwhisper's yowls following me._

_"Brindleswipe! Please come back!"_

_Thoughts crashing with emotions. Heart hurting in my chest, "You broke my heart Oakwhisper. That shall never happen again"_

"Brindlestar", Oakstar growls, "I was wondering when was I to see you again. I have missed you, you know? It appears this isn't the best of moments though"

His dark brown paws are wet with blood. Lionkit's blood.

I grimace in disgust and tense my muscles for a leap, "After all those moons you have the foolishness to say that you missed me? After you killed my nephew?!" After the jump, I realized I had been too obvious. Oakstar stepped to the side and rammed against my flank, his claws leaving three long wounds on my flanks and one on my hind leg.

"Nephew? So, that Raggedstreak had a son right? A shame really, he held the potential of a great warrior. He didn't even scream when I sliced his neck open". I yowled in fury and raked my claws across his face, making him stumble backwards. Who was this cat? Where was the Oakwhisper I used to love?

"Get away from Littlepaw!", the screech made me lose my concentration. Thistlepaw had launched himself at a GoldenClan apprentice that was about to deliver a rather harsh bite to the tawny apprentice's neck. Oakstar used those heartbeats to pin me to the ground, a crazed look flashing across his eyes, "You know, I never liked Wolfpaw really much anyway. Trushpaw is a better Clan cat on everything."

_"You don't know how much I look forward to training Wolfkit! He shows so much potential!"_

"Cliffkit, Echokit, Hollykit and Yellowkit showed potential too. Too bad I was wrong and I had to kill them all"

I struggle under his weight, my lungs aching for the effort of breathing. My icy blue eyes lock on his amber eyes. That is when I realized my three options.

I could call my deputy and some of my senior warriors -who were defending the Nursery along with the queens- to fight off Oakstar and send all of GoldenClan trailing behind, but that would let the Nursery unprotected. I could call for a retreat, but I knew many of my clanmates wouldn't make it out of Camp. If Oakstar could kill a kit, then he wouldn't hesitate on killing the rest of our weakest members. The last option was what made my chest hurt. I could kill Oakstar, ending all of this madness before it continued.

"You are not Oakstar", the tom looked confused, "You are no Clan cat! You are a murder! The Warrior Code won't apply for you!"

I suddenly jerked forward and bit his throat, applying as much pressure as I could manage. Oakstar let me go and started to claw at my belly in an attempt to get rid off me.

_His scent. An exotic smell that enveloped my senses in a peaceful cloak. His adoring stares, amber eyes full of love._

My grip on Oakstar was weakening, his scent remanded the same from all those moons ago. Then, Lionkit's scent reached my nostrils. I would make justice for the kit. I would make justice for all of those who Oakstar had killed! I won't allow any other cat to die by his paws!

Oakstar soon started gasping for breath, his swipes slowing to a halt. His eyes widened, an screech escaping his jaws. I let go of his throat and lashed his neck with my claws, blood rushing out of his deep wound. He squirmed in the ground, paws flailing in a frenzy. The two Clans stopped their fighting and watched in shock as Oakstar's life extinguished.

"He was on his last life", someone whispered.

The tabby tom looked at me, his voice coming out with shaky breaths, "Br-Brindlestar, is that you? W-What have I done, Brindlestar? I never w-wanted to kill those k-kits, I couldn't control myself"

His amber eyes cleared, shining like how they used to be when I first saw him all those moons ago. He looks around, confusion and fear burning in his eyes. The tabby tom looks back at me and his head slowly drops, "Please forgive me Brindlestar! I wasn't myself that night... I haven't been myself since a long time"

As his gaze becomes milky, a shadow runs away from him. I can't react, the pain and the shock are too overwhelming. Oakstar had told me the truth about the bad spirit after all. All of his harsh words, all of his bloodlust, all of his crazed plans... It wasn't him.

GoldenClan retreated with their leader's death body while we mourned for our own lost. The Clan allowed me to remain leader, my actions justified as the only thing we could have done. Raggedstreak had never been the same since that day, I sometimes find her looking at the stars with longing in her eyes. I can't blame my sister, I also miss my young nephew. But my heart also aches in the same way for other reasons. Foxhowl and Cliffshadow, two MeadowClan cats I had recently became friends with, had tried to cheer me up, trying to make me forgive about the life I had taken. The life of the one I tried so hard to forget I loved. There is no success in that. I can just hope that StarClan allows Oakstar to join them, as his actions were controlled by something else.

I haven't seen the shadow again and I hope not to. I just hope some superstitions to fade away with time.


	2. Frozen Peak

Cold. Freezing cold.

My whole body trembles in this chilling temperature, my nose protesting with every breath. I can't move my paws nor feel them but I'm sure that the impact might have broken them. Or at least one of them. My green eyes struggle to remain open, a thin later of ice starting to form around them. I can still feel the soft pelt of Echopaw besides me, her body trembling like mine. My lungs hurt so badly that I'm tempted to stop breathing. I'm tempted to let myself go. To be enveloped in darkness.

The thunderous growl of the mountain. The white blanked that collided with me.

The echo of the avalanche still reverberates in my ears, reminding me of my icy cage. Why did I had to lead my patrol near the mountain? Why didn't I leave when Juniperheart suggested it? The memories take control of my mind but they come as a confusing mix of events.

_"Applefall", Lynxswipe, the deputy, said, "You will lead a patrol near Frozen Peak. Take Echopaw, Icesong, Greystorm and Juniperheart with you"_

_I nod respectfully and signal the chosen cats to follow. Frozen Peak is a mountain near the border of my Clan's territory: ColdClan. A rather dangerous place to visit during Leaf-bare, as avalanches can be caused easily due to the constant snowstorms. My golden paws sinking in the snow, I start heading to Frozen Peak._

_**Xxx**_

_"I don't see a thing", Icesong huffed in annoyance. I roll my eyes and continue walking, trying my best to ignore the new warrior. Just because she is considered as pretty doesn't means that she must be listened by everyone._

_Echopaw bounces around, childish giggles emerging from her throat. Her black paws are covered with white speckles as well as her flanks but she ignores them and continue rolling in the snow. The whole patrol looks at her in amusement. My young sister, always the energetic one._

_**Xxx**_

_"This is Frozen Peak?", the black apprentice questions, blue eyes wide in amazement. I cover her mouth with my golden tail and shot her a warning look, "Speak quietly or you might cause an avalanche", I whisper._

_Greystorm shivers, his short fur making it difficult for him to stay warm. Juniperheart and Echopaw look at him with worry before walking closer to him, their long pelts getting rid of his cold. The tom looks surprised before thanking them._

_**Xxx**_

_The hare was just there, digging something from the snow while its black-tipped ears twitched constantly. I lowered myself into a crouch, praying to StarClan that my long golden pelt wouldn't be seen too quickly. The rest of the patrol awaited near the escaping routes, some perfectly hidden with their pale colored pelts, others half buried in the snow to cover themselves up, like Echopaw._

_I advanced though the snow easily, moons of experience applied in a single mission: catch the hare. Prey was already difficult to find and something as plump as that animal couldn't be easily dismissed, not even if we were hunting at Frozen Peak. When I was a fox-length away from the hare, I ran to it, raising my tail to the sky to scare it. The white animal quickly dashed from its spot, long legs outrunning me in a flash. Still, I pursued it. I could feel the snow between my pads, a pleasant sensation for any ColdClan cat. The chilly wind passed though my pelt, sometimes making me tremble when it touched my skin. The hare made a sudden turn and I smirked. In front of it, Juniperheart's claws suddenly sliced its neck open, killing the hare instantly. The white and pale grey she-cat looked rather pleased with herself, amber eyes shining._

_**Xxx**_

_"Lets go back to Camp", Greystorm suggests. I nod and signal them to follow._

_**Xxx**_

_"Did you hear that?", Icesong halted, ears perking at the moment. I growled in annoyance and motioned her to follow. But the she-cat refused to move._

_"Lets us go, I have a bad feeling about this", Juniperheart declared, her tail twitching with her nerves. My golden pelt was started to bristle when Greystorm halted too, his ears twitching, "I heard it too"_

_Echopaw, who was in the back, uttered a fearful cry and watched at the peak of the mountain. I followed her gaze and my green eyes widened, "Avalanche!"_

_The whole patrol started running for their lives, the snow slowing us down. I had to get us out of there!_

_"HELP!" I whipped my head around to find Echopaw's pelt tangled in a death bush, the avalanche nearing us quickly. I forced myself to return and picked Echopaw by the scruff, running as fast as I could with the small she-cat in my jaws. The thunderous growl of the avalanche was coming nearer and nearer, desperation swirling in my heart. Echopaw started to whimper, her blue eyes full of fear. The rest of my patrol is fox-lengths ahead of us, they can't help us. I glance at Echopaw again. Green meets blue and then a white cloak swallows us, raw pain clawing at my legs. The avalanche sends me rolling forward but I refuse to let go of Echopaw. Instead, I curl protectively around the black she-cat and wait for the avalanche to pass._

_**Xxx**_

Echopaw is still breathing. Good. I curl my tail around her body, pain climbing up my spine. I can hear distant voices past the white wall, but the cold is making my ears burn.

Frozen to the bone.

I utter an agonizing cry as my whole body hurts and my throat closes, avoiding me to breath. A flash of light suddenly appears in front of me and a grey and white face pops in, amber eyes wide in disbelief, "I found Applefall and Echopaw!"

I barely remember the trip to the Camp, the shocked cries, the worried eyes... I do remember been placed inside a warm nest, Longwhisker commanding several Warriors to fetch him some herbs. Echopaw is placed beside me, her body trembling like a twig in the wind. My consciousness starts to disappear when Longwhisker calls my mother. The last thing I saw was Frostpath, my mother, entering the Medicine Den, and then everything went black.

**_Xxx_**

My eyes blinked open when a paw nudged my side. Echopaw smiled lightly but her blue eyes held evident pain behind them. I forced myself to my paws and I noticed that I wasn't cold anymore. The truth came crashing to my mind, heart constricting with pain.

I was death.


	3. Unwanted

**_Well, not exactly what I had in mind... but it will work_**

**_-Cheetahstar_**

* * *

I sneezed, the cold weather making my little brown body shiver. My amber eyes had opened to the world a few heartbeats ago, expecting to see my mother for the first time. Instead, I was greeted by several bushes around me and a fading scent trail that I couldn't follow. Where was I? Why was I alone?  
The icy winds ruffled my long and fluffy pelt, scaring me with the strange howls it brought. The forest danced with the wind around me, creating a lugubrious symphony that whispered in my ears. Amber eyes wide, I did the only thing I could. I ran.

Paws making their way through the strange territory clumsily, all of my movements were made by my fear. The shadows of the trees covered me every few steps and the bushes tangled my paws, making my paws ache. I finally stopped running and hid inside a hole in a tree, curling my tail over my tiny paws. Why did my mother leave me alone? Where was my father? Questions swirling inside my head, I rushed deeper into the hole, its warmth stopping my shivers. Before sleep enveloped me, a single thought crossed my mind: How was I to survive alone?

**Xxx**

"You were supposed to find food, not a kit!"

"But Moonswipe, look at him! I couldn't just abandon him there"

"You forgot the Warrior Code that was thought to you since kit, Moonswipe? No warrior can neglect a kit in pain or danger-"

"Don't you start with that Song!"

I opened my eyes to find that the warm tree was nowhere in sight. Instead, I was dangling from someone's jaws inside some sort of cave. The rock pillars stood in various places of the cave while the piles of leaves looked out of place. Panic filled my chest as I started to twist and hiss in order to free myself from the stranger.

"Hey little kit", a kind voice whispered, "Don't be afraid, we just want to help you".

I stopped my struggles to face a long haired, golden and white she-cat with intense green eyes. She smiles at me reassuringly and nods her head, "Good. Hawk, please put him down"

The stranger suddenly places me in the ground, earning a startled mew from me. The cat tenses and faces me, pale yellow eyes full of worry and pelt bristling with the nerves, "I'm sorry little one, did I hurt you?" I shook my head and he sighs in relief, pale brown pelt flattening against his body again. I look at the two cats with a hint of fear. The she-cat said she wanted to help but they could still hurt me.  
The she-cat -Song I think is her name- padded to me and curled her tail around my dark brown body, effectively making me regain my lost warm. She looked at the top of a flat rock, head held high, "Well Moonswipe, I don't care if you hate kits. This poor little tom can't survive the harsh weathers of the outsides of ColdClan. He stays and that is final"

A pale grey head appeared on top of the rock, green eyes narrowed, "Fine. Do whatever with that kit, Song. But remember that you must feed him somehow".

The golden she-cat sighed and walked to a moss nest, motioning me to follow her. I shyly followed her and halted before the nest, wondering where did they found moss. Song stared at me expectantly, waiting for me to climb inside the nest. My instincts were against trusting the stranger but she had been the first cat to treat me kindly. Actually, she was the first cat that I had seen apart from myself. Before I could react, the pale brown tom from before grabbed me by the scruff and placed me inside the nest, earning another startled mew from me. He then laid on the moss nest beside Song and smiled lightly at me, pale yellow eyes shining with curiosity, "Well little one, what is your name?"

I closed my eyes to concentrate. My name? I had heard someone calling me by a name when I still had my eyes closed. When I could still feel mother's soft pelt beside me. The memory came crashing to my mind and I opened my amber eyes, "Eaglekit"

Song curled her tail around me and her scent enveloped me: a mix of wet moss and milk. Did she have had any kits recently?

"Where are your parents, Eaglekit?", Hawk continued. Pain and confusion flashed across my eyes, "I don't know, I opened my eyes and I was alone"

Song and Hawk exchanged glances, their eyes slightly narrowed. I started wondering if they were mates, as there was something that flashed in their eyes when they looked at each other. Song finally looked back at me, "We will take care of you Eaglekit"

**Xxx**

Many moons passed since I was found by Hawk. I was taught to survive by both Song and Hawk, who had become my parental figures. Although the fact of been my parents never stopped them from training me in the harsh ways of survival of the fittest. I had grown in their care, my long dark brown tabby pelt now grown fully. Hawk often commented of having seen my white markings somewhere, he just couldn't put his claw on it.

During those moons I had also learned their stories.

Moonswipe used to be a ColdClan Warrior. He had been mentor to Applepaw and the brother of the deputy, Lynxswipe. The tom was an excellent Warrior and respected by everyone until the accident. Several moons after an avalanche had killed his old apprentice and her sister, Moonswipe had been hunting in the snow when he heard laughter. Following the sound, he had found two ColdClan kits, Whitekit and Shadekit, playing in the snow. Deciding to give the kits a scare so they wouldn't sneak out of Camp again, the grey tom had screeched loudly and jumped near the kits, who yelled and ran away from him. Moonswipe started to follow them to get them back to Camp when he heard their screams. The two kits had ran across the frozen lake, the ice breaking under them water covering them in a few heartbeats. At hearing this, Blizzardstar had banished the tom from the Clan. For moon and moons he wandered alone until he found Song and her mate Hawk. They soon became a group of rogues and started living inside the cave, hunting and caring for each other as a Clan would do. Several moons later, Song became pregnant. Moonswipe wasn't pleased with the idea of having kits around as kits were the reason he was banished. But still, he respected Song and the kits, he just avoided talking to the little ones. A harsh snowstorm had taken the kits' lives, a deep wound to the couple. Three sunrises later, Hawk had found me inside the tree and Song had rejoiced at the idea of caring for a kit again.

I had made sure that I remembered their stories, as it helped me avoid saying things that could get me in trouble. Still, it wasn't my mouth what got me in trouble.

**Xxx**

I jumped off the branch and landed on top of the hare, breaking its neck and killing it instantly. The snow had melted by now, Greenleaf giving all of us a rest from the cold. Still, the temperature was rather low but cats from this territory have long and thick fur, perfect for the climate. My amber eyes shone with satisfaction as I carried the hare with me. Hawk would love this.

"Longwhisker? What are you doing outside the border?", I paused as a young voice came from the bushes. A white tom -8 moons I presumed- appeared, a strong smell of herbs reaching my nostrils. The grey-eyed cat halted, pelt bristling instantly, "You are not Longwhisker"

Longwhisker? Where had I heard that name before?

I didn't had time to answer the cat, for I bolted out of the place with my prey. I couldn't stay near ColdClan territory, I could get attacked.  
When reaching the cave, I dropped the hare in our small fresh-kill pile and sat on my haunches, panting heavily. Song stopped grooming herself in worry and sat beside me, "What happened, Eagle?"

Eagle, my rogue name. I had always wondered what would be my name if I was a warrior. Regaining my calm, I addressed Song, "I met with a Clan cat". Her muscles tensed when the words left my jaws but she motioned me to continue, "It was small, a young tom. He asked me what was I doing outside the border"

Song sighed in relief, muscles relaxing instantly, "It's nothing to worry about, rogues tend to be seen by the borders". I shook my head. Something told me this was different, "He confused me with another cat. He called me Longwhisker"

Moonswipe rushed to us, his eyes shining with an unknown emotion, "Longwhisker? The Medicine Cat?" The way he said it made me flinch. Moonswipe had eventually accepted me into the group, even starting to talk and joke with me. We were now some sort of friends, though he still acted different around me.

"I don't know this Longwhisker but the tom called me so", I hesitantly replied. Moonswipe circled me slowly, his eyes scanning my body. I arched my back and hissed lowly, feeling trapped like a mouse under a cat's claws. The grey tom finally stopped in front of me, his eyes gleaming with a crazed light, "You are Longwhisker's kit"

I felt myself stiffen at the words.

Laughing, Moonswipe started walking nearer, "Yes, you have his pelt color and markings. How was I so oblivious I don't really know but you are his exact image! The pelt, the posture, the strength, the... eyes?" The tom tilted his head to the side, utterly confused. Then, his eyes widened and he let out another laugh, "Those eyes! My, my! You are not only the Medicine Cat's kit but also the Leader's only kit! You have Blizzardstar's amber eyes"

Now, Song's eyes widened, "B-But that is against your Warrior Code! Medicine Cats can't have kits! And with the Leader!" Moonswipe nodded and did something I wasn't really expecting. He unsheathed his claws and send a powerful blow to my head. I landed several mouse-lengths away, remembering that the cat had trained as a clan cat. Another body hit the ground with a yelp. Song!

"What are you doing?!", the she-cat snarled, bleeding heavily from a deep cut in her flank. Moonswipe ignored her and stalked me, madness emanating from his green eyes, "Longwhisker and Blizzardstar were the two first cats to approve of my banishment, you know? Perhaps you are not them but I can still feel satisfaction in killing you!" The tom, with amazing speed, shortened the distance between us, his gangs gleaming in the moonlight. I was too shocked to react. My parents? Moonswipe knew my parents? I had parents; they weren't just a vague memory of a young kit.

The icy claws digging in my neck went unnoticed to me in my confused state. My vision started to be obstructed by black spots that danced in front of me.  
Song's enraged snarl made me return to reality.

Pain. Raw pain crossing my body, obstructing my throat and stiffening my muscles. A pain so strong that an unnatural screech left my drying jaws: the screech of an agonizing soul. The sounds started to become muffled, the colors mixing together in an erratic blur. I barely noticed a pale brown body entering my vision and the stench of blood that hit my nostrils. Something hit the ground with a yowl.

"Eagle?", a distant voice, familiar yet stranger to my mind. Warmth, softness, love... My mind struggled to identify the owner of that kind voice.

"Eagle! Answer us!"

Us? What us? Did the voice mean they? But then, who are "they"?

"Eaglekit...?"

The warmth, the love... a maternal love... a paternal warmth... Rogues, I was a rogue. Eaglekit? Was I Eaglekit? Song used to- Song! Those were Song and Hawk!

I tried to answer them but my body wouldn't respond. I fought against the darkness that tried to swallow me, I really tried. When I thought I had won the abyss pulled me and I stopped hearing them. Song... Hawk... I'm so sorry.


End file.
